Seeds of Betrayal
by PaperFields
Summary: Unless I grip the sword, I cannot protect you.  While gripping the sword,I cannot embrace you.   Waiting for a better summary... Re-uploaded after being edited and rewritten. Rating somewhere between T and M.
1. I

Finally got this up. Glad? To the readers of the first version, have you been thinking of good names for this? Because I still have nothing...

**Notes:** I'm posting the parts I've already written based on the number of reviews.

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

"All captains and vice-captains, report to the northern gate."

_No…_

"There have been a number of arrancar spotted. It has been determined that two of these are of espada level."

_Not again…_

"Taicho! We have to go!"

_I won't…_

"Call for the Forth Squad! Hurry!"

_I won't do it…_

"_**You!**_"

_I can't…_

A hand outstretched, pale against the blood splattered over the ground.

…_but I have to…_

He, in turn, stretched out his hand, and placed it in the other's.

_I don't have a choice…_

The grin on the other's face, if possible, grew even larger.

_Matsumoto…_

He heard the shocked exclamations from the other shinigami.

_Hinamori…_

The shock wore off quickly, to be replaced with screams of outrage.

_Everyone…_

"Why?" He turned at the loudest voice, trying not to let her see the pain in his eyes, while really wanting her to. Wanting her to understand, to forgive him. But she couldn't understand. She couldn't know. It would drag her into this bottomless pit of hell as well.

_Please…_

"Let's go." He turned and, though no one else could see it, at that moment, the life left his eyes. This was it. There was no turning back now.

_Forgive me…_

As the portal closed around him, he allowed himself one last look at Seiretei. At the blood coating the floor. The blood of his friends, his subordinates. And at the look on his vice-captain's face, one of pain and shock. Her eyes were searching his, looking for an answer. He turned his back on those eyes, and didn't look back again.

_Goodbye._

**Part I**

Hitsugaya sighed, lying down on his back. It had been almost a month and a half since then. So why couldn't he forget?

He already knew the answer to that, of course. What he really couldn't forget was the look on Matsumoto's face, the betrayal shining in her eyes as tears that she refused to shed.

At least the dreams weren't coming every night now. He probably would have lost his mind during that first week if it weren't for knowing that this would save many shinigami's lives. At least his suffering was balancing the scales of power a bit. Though, of course, not nearly enough.

He sighed again, rolling onto his side. Aizen would be calling for him in a few hours, and it would be best for him to be fully alert; he was, after all, in enemy territory, and most of the arrancar didn't seem to trust him yet. Those particular arrancar appeared to be much smarter than Aizen in that particular matter. Smirking at the thought, he let himself sub come to sleep, and didn't dream for the rest of the night.

**ooo**

Ichigo was woken very early the next morning by the usual shouts of "GOOOOOD MOOOOOOORNING, ICHIGOOOOOO~!" by his father and, after beating him to the floor, went down to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Ichigo," his younger sister Yuzu chirped, ever the chipper one. His other sister, Karin, just grunted something that vaguely resembled a "Morning." She was reading a book about soccer, which she just managed to lift in time to avoid it being chucked out the window alongside the food as their father slid across the table; Ichigo had dodged his second attack.

"Now what are we supposed to eat?" snarled Karin, slamming her book down on the table. Ichigo, sensing danger, took this as his cue to slip out of the house.

Once he got out of the house, he sighed. This was ten minutes before he usually left. _Ok, two choices… One: go back and wait._ A well-timed crashed, followed by a howl of pain, however, decided for him._ Ok, to school it is._

**ooo**

Matsumoto groaned and threw her arm over her eyes when dawn ambushed them. She rolled over, trying to remember the dream she had been having. It was such a _good_ dream. There was someone in it, and she had been so _happy_ to see them. But why…?

Her eyes widened, and she shot up. Had… had she just been dreaming about Toushiro Hitsugaya?

**ooo**

Hitsugaya was woken rather rudely at dawn by a pounding on his door. He groaned, struggling to sit up.

"What is it?"

"Lord Aizen requests your presence immediately."

"Very well. Tell him I'm coming."

"Yes, sir."

He sighed. This was going to be a _long_ day.

**ooo**

Ichigo sighed. Compared to his second life as a substitute shinigami, school was indescribably mundane. He caught himself, as had become habit lately, staring out of the window. And, as expected, his thoughts drifted once again right to one Toushiro Hitsugaya.

Why had he abandoned Soul Society? Ichigo didn't know, but he had the strangest feeling that not all was as it seemed. He, of course, kept this to himself. As he was obviously fond of the short ex-captain, no one in Soul Society would believe a word he said on the matter, and would most likely take their frustration out on him.

He sighed again, this time out of sadness. He had trusted Toushiro, helped him get his name cleared during Kusaka's would-be revenge on Seiretei. How could Toushiro have just thrown that away? How could he just forget about that, and turn his back on them? There were so many questions surrounding Hitsugaya's betrayal, and nowhere near enough answers…

"Kurosaki! Pay attention!" His eyes snapped back to the teacher, aware that everyone else's eyes were on him. The teacher, seeming satisfied, turned back to the blackboard.

"Kurosaki, I'd like to talk to you after class." He glanced sideways to see Orihime looking at him sadly. She, too, had obviously been thinking about Hitsugaya. It was no secret that Orihime was good friends with Matsumoto Rangiku, and therefore was worried sick over her friend, as well as Matsumoto's small ex-captain. They both turned back to the blackboard, and Ichigo sighed, out of boredom again.

He busied himself in writing down every word the teacher said the rest of the period, and successfully distracted himself.

Mostly.

**ooo**

The voices echoed around the chamber, merging together. It was disorienting. Just as the boy was feeling nauseous, they abruptly stopped. He waited, but they remained silent.

The silence was pressing in on his eardrums, and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He longed to say something, to break the silence, but he couldn't open his mouth. He was frozen in place. Frozen with terror at what he knew was coming. Any second, they were going to say it… his death sentence.

Only one thought went through his head, playing over and over until he was all but saying it out loud.

_They know._

Of course they knew. How could they not?

_And after all that trouble I went through, it seems they still found out. What a waste._

After what seemed like an eternity, but was in truth only a few seconds, he heard one of the shadows take a breath. He waited, still frozen, for what he knew was coming…

And stared in shock when it didn't.

"_Hitsugaya Toushiro, you have been called here for a reason of utmost importance."_

"_It seems that Aizen has taken an interest in you."_

"_Of course; he would truly be a fool to not."_

"_Silence!"_

The shadows immediately quieted themselves. It seemed that this particular voice held more power than the rest.

"_As I was saying, the traitor Aizen seems to have taken an interest in you. Now tell me, how can we use this to our advantage?"_

The voice didn't give him time to answer, let alone think before it continued.

"_Hitsugaya Toushiro, Captain of the Tenth Squad of the Gotei Thirteen Protection Squads. We have a special mission for you."_

His muscles were burning from being tensed so long, but he didn't care. All his attention was on what the voice said next. His future…

What he heard next sent him to his knees. He heard a dragon growl in the back of his mind, but ignored it.

Even as he protested, he knew there was nothing he could do. No one could defy the Central 46.

No one.

'_Get up'_

_I can't…_

'_Yes you can! You're stronger than this! Or did I overestimate you?'_

_Hyourinmaru…_

And so he stood, with head held high, as his world fell apart around him.

**ooo**

The small white-haired boy gagged, tasting iron in his mouth.

Blood.

And, with an odd feeling of de ja vu, repeated the same thing over and over in his mind.

_They knew._

He looked down in horror at the tip of a zanpaktou protruding from his chest where it had ripped through him. Felt the searing pain from below his right shoulder blade where it had entered his flesh.

_They knew from the start._

He looked up into the cold, cruel eyes of Aizen, which danced with pitiless humor.

_They've been toying with me since I first stepped foot here._

He turned his head slowly to follow the path of the blade. At the end, he could see a pale, bony hand. He didn't need to see the owner's face. He knew who it was.

_This was just a trap. A game._

His vision was beginning to darken, and he struggled to hold on.

_And I walked right into it._

His body was starting to go numb, and he fought the strong desire to let go. To slip away and not have to feel this agony anymore.

_I'm such a fool…_

The blade receded, and his knees buckled, unable to support him anymore. His palms hit the cold, hard floor with an echoing smack. He didn't even have the strength to lift his head.

His body swayed, and he heard a sickening crunch when his head hit the floor. He felt something warm and wet trickle through his hair, heading toward the floor. His head was bleeding.

_That's not good._ He thought vaguely. He could see a pair of feet walk to him and stop, but his vision was so blurry that he could hardly make out what it was.

A sharp kick to the gut sent him sliding across the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he went. He gasped for the lost air, vision going completely black.

He could hear voices, the voices of the two tormenters, but it sounded like his ears were stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't make out what they said.

A dragon roared in the back of his mind, but even it sounded muffled and distant.

The next second he was picked up roughly and slung over someone's shoulder. He felt them move and start walking, heard them converse with a few others.

Somewhere along the way he must have finally passed out, because the next thing he knew he was thrown roughly into what appeared to be a cell. He winced as the dirt and filth got into his shoulder wound.

He heard the door close, the loud click of the lock, before he finally gave in and slipped into unconsciousness, body finally giving out.

**ooo**

When the boy awoke, he was laying in a pool of dark black. After a moment, he realized it was blood. It had apparently been sitting there a long time for it to turn black, and parts of it were starting to peel.

He looked around in confusion. Where was he?

The room he was in was almost completely black, but for the tiny slivers of light that slid from around the door. It took his eyes a moment to adjust.

He was in a small square room. The corners appeared to have been subjected to water damage, and there was what looked to be a green mold growing there. There were no furnishings in the room, and he saw the dim outline of chains hanging from the ceiling.

He blinked. Why was he here? What happened?

'_Child… have you forgotten me?'_

_Wh-who are you?_

He heard an irritated growl. It didn't seem to be coming from the room. It seemed, strangely enough, to be coming from _inside_ him.

'_Have you forgotten yourself?'_

_What do you mean?_

'_What is my name?'_

_I-I don't know…_

'_Listen closely. My name is-'_

An unearthly shriek drown out the voice. The boy clutched his head, crying out against the pain ripping through his skull.

_I can't hear you!_

'_Remember, little one…'_

_Please, come back!_

'_I will do what I can to help you, but you must call on me.'_

_How do I do that? Wait! Don't leave me!_

The boy gasped, sitting down with his back to the wall and pulling his knees to his chest, careful to avoid the strange injury that went through his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around his legs and buried his face in his knees.

He felt so alone, and that scared him. Something, some unknown part of him, told him that he should be angry, to try and break out of here and make whoever did this to him pay. The thing was, he didn't know where "here" was, or who did this to him.

The small room was suddenly filled with light, and he looked up, squinting to see who it was.

The man standing in the doorway was tall and lanky, with silver-white hair. His eyes were closed, and he had such a wide grin on that the boy wondered why his face didn't split in half. The boy was immediately reminded of a fox, and his senses were on high alert.

"Who are you?"

The man stopped, before grinning even wider and tilting his head to the side, much like a puppy regarding a small animal.

"Why, don' 'cha 'member me, Shiro-chan?"

"Who are you?" he demanded again, much firmer. Something about this man didn't sit right with him, and he intended to find out what.

"Well, this is cert'inly interestin'" he turned on his heels and started walking out the door.

"Hey! Answer me!"

The man paused, as though contemplating whether or not to answer. After a few seconds, he turned back around, still grinning widely, "M' name's Ichimaru Gin," and turned around, walking out and locking the door behind him, shutting out the small glimpse of freedom that lay beyond the dark, mold-smelling room.

The boy lay his head back down so only his eyes were showing, and stared at the wall, not really seeing it.

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><p>This is the part I'm not the happiest with... oh well.<p> 


	2. II

Notes: Here's part 2! I'll be going on vacation in 2 days and after that is preparing for school, so it could be a while until another update. But don't worry! I'll be spending any free time I have working on this. Hopefully there will be another part up in a couple of weeks at most.

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><p><strong><span>Part II<span>**

The boy stumbled, falling sideways into the sand again, grunting in pain when yet more sand got into the wounds. He knew that he needed to keep his footing, or they could easily track him with the pools of blood that formed when he hit the ground, the impact reopening his wounds.

Those wounds… How had he gotten them?

He couldn't remember anything anymore, like why he was in the middle of a desert at night?

He continued like this for a few hours, walking, falling, getting up again, and continuing walking.

The boy paused, listening.

In the distance there was what sounded like voices. He knew he should run; what if it was more of the Bad People? But something held him back. Those voices, they sounded familiar somehow…

He could see the owners of the voices, small dots on the horizon. They seemed to be coming this way. Maybe… they would help him?

He contemplated this for a long time, until the dots were close enough to actually see them somewhat clearly. The loudest was a man with bright orange hair. Odd.

There was another man with bright red hair; a woman with somewhat short dark hair; a woman with long orange hair; a large, tanned man with dark hair; and a thin, pale man with long, dark bluish bangs.

They seemed to notice him, as well. With a shout from the orange haired man, they disappeared. Looking around, he noticed he was surrounded.

None of them were attacking. In contrast, they were staring with shock visible in their faces.

"T-toushiro?"

The boy clutched at his head in pain. _That name!_

Finally reaching his limit, the boy collapsed.

The last thing he saw was six pairs of feet running toward him.

"_Toushiro!_"

And then he finally let go, and slipped into the darkness.

"Dammit! Renji, help me!"

The red haired man nodded after a moment, still seeming shocked to see the former captain of the Tenth. Wasn't he supposed to be a traitor?

"Ne, Ichigo, should we really help him? I mean, he _is_ supposed to be the enemy now…"

"So what, you want to just leave him here to bleed to death?"

"No, no! What I mean is, he betrayed Soul Society. How do we know he won't just attack us?"

"If he really has sided with Aizen, why would he be out here, injured?"

"I don't know, Rukia. I really just don't know..."

**ooo**

His back was cold. That was the boy's first thought.

Strange. The last he remembered, he was in a desert.

A strange growling was coming from the distance, one filled with pain and anger.

_What is that?_

'_Who are you?'_

The boy didn't answer. He was trying to ignore the dragon. It wanted him to remember.

No. He didn't want to remember. It hurt too much.

'_Running from the problem won't solve anything, child.'_

He kept his eyes determinedly closed.

'_Who are you?'_ the voice repeated.

The boy still refused to speak, or acknowledge the creature.

'_Tell me your name.'_

_I…_

'_Who are you?'_

_I don't know!_

**ooo**

"How is he, Captain Unohana?"

"No different."

"I see…"

The two fell into silence, both watching the young captain. The room was silent but for the shallow, irregular breaths coming from the boy.

"…I'll go tell Ichigo. He's really taking this hard."

Unohana didn't answer. She was still watching his small chest rise and fall. Her face portrayed something she didn't usually show: worry. She had harbored a soft spot for Hitsugaya since she had first met him. She had always enjoyed his seriousness that was unusual in someone his age, the hidden sweetness that made an appearance once every blue moon. In many ways, he was like a son to her, not that she would ever say such things in front of the short-tempered prodigy.

Rukia sighed once she was out of the room. She was dreading going back to the Living World to tell Ichigo the latest news on Hitsugaya's recovery. He was taking the young captain's rescue badly especially since he had been proven right about his so-called betrayal. Two weeks ago the Central 46, in a rare show of what could or could not be regret, had told the Gotei Thirteen their role in all this mess.

Captains Ukitake, Shunsui, and Unohana were furious when this was revealed, to the point that the other captains had to hold them back from attacking the Central 46 themselves.

Rukia smiled. Though the situation was still dire, or even more so, she couldn't help but being relieved.

Hitsugaya Toushiro had come home at last.

**ooo**

"You know, you should wake up soon, Captain. That pile of paperwork isn't getting any smaller!"

Hinamori smiled from her position outside of the room, listening from the crack in the door. She wanted to go in, but didn't want to intrude on Matsumoto.

They smile faded a bit. It wasn't that she disliked the bubbly vice-captain, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy toward her. Matsumoto was pretty and smart, and seemed to always know what to say to the young captain, regardless of whether Hinamori, who grew up with him, did.

"You ok?"

She jumped; she hadn't heard Renji coming!

"I'm fine," she repeated for what felt the hundredth time. Why was everyone asking her that lately?

Renji frowned at her. "You should get some sleep."

Hinamori shook her head defiantly. "I can't! If he wakes up-"

"You'll be one of the first to know."

She scowled. Yes. _One_ of the first.

Renji sighed wearily. "Look, you driving yourself to exhaustion isn't going to make him wake up any faster. How do you think he would feel if he knew you were doing this to yourself?"

Hinamori bowed her head in shame. "I-I know. It's just that…" she trailed off.

"I know."

**ooo**

The sun was shining to the right, making the water glitter with the warm afternoon glow. Underneath, the koi fish swam in slow, lazy circles. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was fairly warm, but not _too_ warm.

_Yes, a perfect evening. But, even so…_

Out of the view of his subordinates, Ukitake let his shoulders slump. It had been almost six weeks since Captain Hitsugaya had been found alive, and there hadn't been much change in his condition. Ukitake had actually resorted to skipping the captain's meetings the week before, as they just left him with more questions and more worries than he had to start with.

"Skipping again, I see."

Ukitake looked to the right, a bit surprised he hadn't been able to sense his friend. "And what about you? Aren't you going?"

"I'm afraid that with my current hangover, paying attention would be near impossible." Ukitake smiled a bit shook his head, used to his friend's excuses.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thought.

"He'll be ok. He's young, I'm sure he'll bounce back before we know it." As always, Shunsui knew what he was worried about.

Ukitake lowered his head, watching the fish. "I know. It's hard not to worry though."

Shunsui didn't get a chance to answer, as a messenger chose this time to appear behind them. The pair spun around halfway to watch him bow into a low, respectful crouch.

"Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyouraku, I'm sorry to intrude, but I have an urgent message from Captain Unohana." The messenger paused.

"Go on," Ukitake urged.

"The message is this: 'Hitsugaya Toushiro, Captain of the Tenth Division, woke up from a coma approximately seventeen minutes ago. Please report to the Fourth Division immediately.' That is all."

The two captain, who had scrambled to their feet at the words "Hitsugaya Toushiro," now glanced at one another, before nodding and shunpo-ing off.

**ooo**

"_Ichigo!_"

The orange hair teen turned around from the quickly shrinking pile of what used to be a hollow to see Rukia running toward him. Her eyes were wide, and her hair was a mess from running so fast from one world to the other.

"What is it, Rukia?"

"Ichigo, he woke up!"

"Who?"

"Fool! Captain Hitsugaya!"

**ooo**

The anxious murmuring of the captains' was unsettling. Ichigo sighed again; he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. The Captain-Commander had allowed Ichigo to attend the captain's meeting, as well as Matsumoto. He was grateful for them letting him come, but he just wished the stupid thing would _start_ already!

As if on cue, they heard the sharp snap of the Captain-Commander's cane on the floor, and every pair of eyes looked immediately to the old man.

"Captain Unohana, I believe it was you who called for this meeting."

"Yes, I wanted to discuss the matter of Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro. He woke up approximately three hours ago."

"And what are his conditions?" Captain Ukitake questioned for nearly everyone.

"Physically, he has sustained many wounds, but with proper care they should be healed soon. However, his mental state…" She trailed off.

"What about it, exactly?"

"He seems to be experiencing severe amnesia."

This is not uncommon among trauma victims. Sometimes it is too painful or too much for them to handle, and they simply _forget_ everything that happened to them."

"Doesn't he remember _anything?_"

"Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case."

"'Seem'?"

"Yes, unfortunately, we have yet to get him so say anything. Most of this is based on guess-work."

"Then you could be wrong?" Kurotsuchi piped up, seeming to take pleasure in the thought of the Fourth Squad making such a mistake.

Unohana frowned at him. "It is very unlikely that my guess is wrong, though I wish it were."

Ichigo couldn't say he honestly paid much attention to the rest of the meeting. Looking around he noticed that most of the captains didn't seem to find the rest of the meeting as interesting as the update on Toushiro either.

Ichigo sighed once again.

_Toushiro…_

**ooo**

The brown-haired girl ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Her feet smacked painfully against the floor and she could barely see through the tears streaming down her face, but she didn't care, pushing herself even harder.

She was strangely numb, having stopped being able to feel the rain stinging her halfway bare arms and face long ago. Still she pushed on, determined to reach her destination.

The few villagers still left outside scrambled out of her way, shocked to see a shinigami this far from Seiretei. Later, when questioned, one brave man said, "Her eyes were full of a strange fire. I've never seen anything like it before."

The only sounds other than the rain were her footsteps and shallow breathing. Her breaths were coming out in clouds of white fog, signaling the nearly below freezing temperatures of mid-winter. Her tears were frozen to her face, still refusing to stop flowing, and she made no attempt to stop them.

At last she made it to an old house and stopped.

Most would say that "house" was an overstatement. Truthfully it looked more like a shack than a house, but it still held a feeling of home, despite the fact that it had been emptied many years ago, the last occupant having died, or whatever souls do, of old age.

The girl walked slowly to the back porch, chestnut eyes roaming the house with a small, sad smile gracing her lips. She chose to sit in the middle of the structure, legs hanging off the edge.

She closed her eyes, letting memories wash over her. Memories of a happy, care-free time. A choked sob escaped her throat, and she curled up in a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face in them, nails digging into her skin until blood started oozing out.

She didn't know how long she sat there. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days, but they eventually came for her, just like she knew they would.

She didn't bother to look up, hoping they would just _leave her alone_. But they didn't, of course.

She still didn't respond when they said her name, didn't respond at all until they lifted her up bridal style, to which she went limp, letting them. She didn't have the strength to fight back anyway.

They murmured comforting words to her, stroking her soaking hair gently, while the two headed back.

**ooo**

"C'mon, kid. At least _look _at me…"

He stubbornly kept his eyes trained to the window, watching the raindrops glide down its smooth surface, washing the grime with it. He heard the other sigh.

"Captain Kyouraku, Captain Ukitake, that's enough for today. He needs rest." The two men got up without a word and followed her out the door. He waited until the door shut quietly behind them before turning.

Secretly, he was thankful to the woman for stopping the near-constant stream of unwanted visitors. They all wanted him to remember, just like the dragon.

The dragon… what had become of it? After being found by that group of people he had lost communication with the beast. For some reason, he felt that it could give him answers if he knew how to talk with it. Perhaps it was just testing him, like everyone else here. Wherever _here_ was.

He could hear there voices drifting in from the hallway and had to restrain a snort. Did they think these thin walls really blocked out their voices?

Another voice entered the conversation and a small part of him was curious to know who it was. The rest was too busy hoping they wouldn't come in.

This hope had little time to live before the door opened once again and four people walked in.

One was the woman that seemed to run wherever he was. He noticed that her forehead was covered in worry lines, and dully wondered if it was because of him. The two men that had just left were with them. They were led by an old man. Though the man looked to be ancient, he seemed to radiate power. He instantly made the boy uneasy.

The man scrutinized him with squinted eyes, giving him the impression that he was looking straight through the boy. He tried not to squirm under the old man's gaze.

After what seemed an eternity the old man looked away. The boy barely held in a sigh of relief.

The old man didn't say anything; he simply turned and walked back out the door. The small part of him that still cared about such things was mildly curious as to why he would do that. The two men followed behind, the one with white hair giving him a worried look on the way out before he was herded out by his friend and the woman.

After a few minutes the woman came back in.

"The Captain Commander wishes for you to attend tomorrow's captain's meeting." She seemed unhappy about this.

Disinterested, he turned back to the window. The woman stayed for a few more moments before turning and walking out again.

He listened to her footsteps fade down the hall as she left.

Just like everyone else.

**ooo**

_"Aizen..."_

_The man regarded the boy with an amused smile, knowing he wasn't a threat at this point in time._

_"I will kill you."_

_"This sounds familiar."_

**ooo**

The rain was falling again. Aquamarine eyes watched the drops weave between each other on their way down the glass in perfect harmony.

The two men were back too. He frowned. Couldn't they just leave him alone?

He felt numb. When he went to that meeting before it felt as though something was trying to pull loose, but now that it was over the numbness came back. He was glad. The numbness made everything sound farther away, like his ears were stuffed with cotton. It helped block out the voices of the men.

Eventually the men left, just like they always did. Once again the women came to check up on him, and once again she left after speaking in a soft voice.

It was becoming a regular routine.

A flash of lightning illuminated the room for a split second before thunder rolled overhead, vibrating in his chest, as he sat alone in the dark room.

_Alone…_

**ooo**

_The storm raged overhead, giving no sign of stopping any time soon. Storms - and rain, for that matter - were rare in the desert. In an enviroment where water was scarce any form of precipitation was welcome._

_In a small dark room a small figure sat in the corner farthest to the door, listening to the voices outside. One voice in particular was especially talkative, driving its poisonous words into his mind like a dagger until they continued to torment him long after the voice itself stopped talking._

_The thunder cracked directly overhead, vibrating in his chest as the boy sat in his own miniature hell, listening to the deadly whispers of a bodiless voice._

**ooo**


	3. III

_I'm posting this part - which was written a long time ago - but I doubt I'll be finishing this story. While switching computers, I found this little incomplete fic buried in my files, and decided I might as well post the last part to get finished. So sorry to anyone who was looking forward to finishing this! (If such a person exists ^^;)_

**Part III**

In hindsight, she supposed she should have seen this coming.

Well, if not this than something equally gruesome. That's the thing about skeletons; they just don't like to stay in closets. As much as she wished otherwise, she grudgingly admitted to herself that there was no way someone _wouldn't_ find out. The trail was too obvious, too fresh to not be noticed, despite her rather sloppy attempt to cover it up. Like a corpse buried in a desert, it wouldn't be much longer until the winds stirred and uncovered something sinister, something leading directly back to her.

She wasn't running away. Not yet anyway. Why purposefully bring suspition upon herself in advance? No, she was much better off keeping to the shadows. She was superb at doing just that, even if she really didn't have anything else to brag about.

Looking at the clock, she paused in her restless walk to watch two men get to work, picking up their blunt instruments to strike a set of bells, signalling the twelfth hour had arrived. Scoffing, she shook her head. These lazy bums really were the worst, getting a free meal ticket and even a place to stay just for hitting _bells_ twice a day. Pathetic.

One corner of darkened lips turned up as she paused, regarding the two as if for the first time.

She smirked. No, mabye they weren't so useless after all...

**ooo**

Despite the initial concerns, the captain's meeting was surprisingly uneventful. Not to say _nothing_ happened, because the point of meeting was to get things done, after all. Though the purpose of this particular meeting was vaguely different. They had an audience this time after all. On that note, he didn't even seem to have been listening, which was naturally frustrating, but there was no helping it. Perhaps he didn't have the capacity to really concentrate anymore. If someone can't seem to find the ability to _speak_ any more, is it really unimaginable that they don't have the will to listen, even if it would help them?

Even so, a _dog_ can obey commands. Recently aquired psychological handicaps aside, unless they somehow imapared his hearing there shouldn't be a real problem like this. That meant there was still a chance, if they could find some way to get through to him. That wasn't nearly as comforting as it should be.

**ooo**

Trees were oddly facinating at this speed. He was almost certain he had never seen these types of life before. Well, as certain as he could be of a_nything_ anymore. Most life couldn't survive in the desert, after all.

This kind of plantlife gave off a certain _scent_, pollen being released to fertilize another plant and continue the species. Damp earth left from the last rain gave off a darker, musky scent. Sharp winds ripped through the other smells, cutting pieces out and diluting it, the sound complementing the foggy air coming down from the nearby mountains.

Intoxicating.

Despite his longing to stay, he knew it was impossible. The Call was coming, pulsing through him, humming from his very blood, urging him to move on. Past the mountains, beyond the horizon, where his Mistress was waiting for him. She wouldn't be happy if he waited too long.

His mucles burned, but he forced them to work, pulling him up again too soon and steadying himself. Huffing one last breath of this place, he carefully moved past the shallows of the small river, over rocks with water flowing over it like a blanket. Once he was in the cover of the trees again he would be safe. No one would find him there, except for his owner of course. He would never try to hide from her.

**ooo**

Despite her initial determination to see him, Rangiku had to admit that she was too afraid to open the door. As much as she wanted to see him, she wasn't sure if she could do this anymore. Nothing had changed, and as much as she hated to admit it she wanted to give up. With all of her heart she wished she didn't have to be the one to deal with this. Being his lieutenant, it fell to her to care for the entire needed her captain now more than ever, but it was undeniably painful to come here so often to see the result of her own failures sitting there, staring at the window like he just didn't have the energy to try anymore.

It made her sick to think of it like that, the guilt writhing in her stomach like a serpent. To think that she had all but given up on him when he would have never give up on her, had the positions been reversed...

God, she was tired.

**ooo**

Today was different. She wasn't sure how, but it certainly was. Mabye it was the almost pallable tension in the air, like a chord pulled just enough to not break it, or like the cooling down right before a big thunderstorm, or like standing at the very edge of a deep hole, deep enough that you couldn't hear a rock hit the bottom, and you just _know_ that you're about to lost your balance if you close your eyes so you don't have a choice but to watch and see if anything comes out and grabs you, pulling you down to eat you alive.

Kind of like that.

Yes, that was it.

**ooo**

Unohana was a very busy woman. Even busier than most would think. With so much stress from the job in normal times, the call of war was almost maddening. People were close to reaching their breaking points, so they did the only thing they knew to help. They fought. This was a rather injury-inducing pastime in the first place, but with people like the members of the Eleventh Division involved it was downright deadly.

As a result, the head healer was severely overworked, but she wasn't really bothered by it. Shinigami had been fighting for centuries, and so had been getting themselves injured in the process. She was used to it. 'Overworked' was a normal state for her.

The first thing Unohana noticed upon entering a certain room was that her patient was gone.

The second was that the window was open.

The third was almost an afterthought. How were they going to catch Hitsugaya before he hurt himself or those around him?

**ooo**

These buses were never fast enough for her tastes. She would much prefer to Flash Step, but this damn Gigai was too much of a hassle. Oh well. It's necessary, after all, or she wouldn't have bothered going so much out of her way to get it. Those smug fools at the Twelfth almost made it too easy. They didn't seem to realize just how easy to figure out their research was. 'Greastest minds of the Soul Society' indeed.

Three more stops. Cautious as always, she let blue-grey eyes that didn't belong to her sweep the small crowd in the bus. No one stood out, but spies rarely do. She'd have to be careful.

Two more. No one was looking toward the back of the bus, she was sure. These humans were so naive. Going through their days feeling so safe, so secure. Never did they see danger until it was too late to stop, until they were already at the precipice's edge. Pitiful creatures, these humans.

**ooo**

A snarl of frustration was the first sound to break the silence. She was late. The sky was still dark enough to see the stars, but just barely. Didn't she understand the danger of being out in the light? Why was she taking so long? And all this after begging to meet with him for such a long time...

A rustle of grass was the only indication of her arrival, but it was enough. Summoning up Human words she could understand in the back of his throat, he took a mouthful of air and spit them out.

"You're late."

She froze, not expecting to have been found out. Moron. Did she think she was _stealthy_?

He heard the _whoosh_ of her released breathe as she released it, recovering from the shock. She grinned at him, lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth in a gesture that was not entirely friendly.

"I'm impressed. Really," she added at his silence, apparently taking it as disbelief. Idiot. "I didn't think you'd be able to Sense me. I was trying to keep my Presence hidden and everything!" She was strangely giddy at having been caught. He didn't honor this revelation with a response.

Another huff. She must be annoyed. Responding in a way befitting a human...had she no pride?

Opening his eyes for the first time, he found himself staring into crimson, gold-flecked eyes. Like his own, they had four black dots surrounding the pupils, two on each side, and two longer, more oval ones above and below. Blue-tinted sliver banges hung to each side of a pale, heart-shaped face. The rest ran down her back, curling slightly at the end where it hung level with a slim, slightly curvy waist.

His own pale orange eyes narrowed slightly. That was strange. He should have known that she had moved the second she did. Was she just playing with him before?

No, he decided. That couldn't be it. He was just too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention to her.

"What exactly is it that you wanted to speak to me about?" He spoke in human tongue again. Absently he noted that she was still smiling - no, more like smirking - at him. He watched as that teasing grin grew just a bit wider.

"Impatient, aren't you?" she giggled. He surpressed a cringe. How annoying. "Well, if you're that curious i suppose we can get stared. We only have a couple of hours left until dawn anyway."

**ooo**

As far as emergencies went this was definately one of the stranger ones Renji Abarai had been unfortunate enough to be involved in. That was mostly because it was the first to happen in the Seretei that they were forbidden to tell any unseated officers about. The people involved were actually mostly Captains and their respective fuku-taichos, but a few others had managed to worm their way into the mess. Ikkaku was one of them, of course, and he was almost never without Yumichika. Hinamori was supposedly still off duty, but he was sure he had seen her running around; and according to a few overheard rumors, Rukia was currently missing from her quarters.

What a mess.

Renji was actually starting to run out of steam, as it were, but not from the mission at all. He was trying to find his captain, who - _big surprise_ - had decided to ditch him the first chance he got. Damn nobles. What was with that family and running off on their own anyway?

Turning his head to the right to look down yet another alleyway, Renji caught a head of dark hair out of the corner of his eye. Tattooed eyebrows furrowed together and he picked up the pace a bit. Was it one of the ever-elusive Kuchki? If so, what was she - for surely it was Rukia, his captain would just use _shunpo_ rather than run - doing running down an alley? She could just look from the entrance like he was, there was no need to go in.

Making up his mind, he shifted his weight to slow down, making a sharp turn into the darkened alley after her.

**ooo**

Holding a hand to her mouth managed to stifle the bubbles of laughter floating up. Oh, what a foolish man he was. They were all so predictable. Countless times they would warn others not to do anything irrational, only to do so themselves the moment they thought no one was looking.

Well, it was expected. Humans are just too stupid, the poor creatures. Still, they were entertaining at least. It was so much fun to observe them.

On that note, it looked like her toy was leaving her behind. That wouldn't do. This was one show she didn't want to miss. Unfurling her tail from around herself, she pushed herself forward with her arms. Along the wall the man with red hair had used, down the shadow-infested space between someone's Nest and the closest Place of Healing, the last bit of sunlight shimmering against her...

**ooo**

_...scales?_ Blinking, Rukia paused to catch her breath. She must need to, she was obviously imagining things. There were no reptiles here, at least not large enough to own the dark green tail she thought she saw slip between those two buldings...

Glancing around, she scowled darkly at her surroundings. She could have sworn she sensed Renji around this area not thirty seconds ago.

Breathing calmed down, she started forward once more. Mabye he used flash step and was just somewhere else now. She'd just have to keep looking, and who knows? Mabye she'd find her Nii-sama along the way too!

Determined, she prepared a quick _shunpo_.

She didn't notice the crimson eyes glowing from the shadows opposite the alleyway, watching her short stop in the street. After she dissapeared, the eyes narrowed a bit in thought before vanishing as well.

**ooo**

"Ken-chan?"

Hearing the innocent sounding voice, brown eyes slid to the captain in question, watching a pink blur bounce onto his shoulder.

"Ken-chan, Weirdo said we're supposed to be looking for Snowball, right? I think he's over there!" A small finger pointed to the left.

A frown made its way onto Ukitake's kind face as the violent man ignored her suggestion, veering to the right instead. That was strange... noramally Kenpachi listened to the small girl's misguided directions.

This strange phenomenon was pushed out of mind as Ukitake sensed the presence of Byakuya Kuchiki nearby.

**ooo**


End file.
